Tape motion for shutterless looms



June so, 1970 M. M CLURE, JR 3,517,705

' -TAPE MOTION FOR VSHUTTLELESS LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 30, 1968 INVENTOR. WILLIAM M. MG cLURE-l JR.

AT TORNE Y w. M. MCCLURE, JR

June 30, 1970 TAPE MOTION FOR SHUTTLELESS LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 30, 1968 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 139-122 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Flexible filling carrier tape members for shuttleless looms having means for reducing the frictional contact with their guiding shoe members and the outer periphery of oscillatable tape wheels about which they are wrapped and extended during the performance of their intended function.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 701,650, filed Jan. 30, 1968.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Shuttleless looms of the type to which the instant invention is applicable have opposed carrier elements which are attached to the free ends of flexible tapes. The opposite ends of these tapes are fixedly attached to a point on the outer peripheral surface of oscillating tape Wheels disposed at-the sides of a loom. The carrier elements are caused to enter a warp shed and to be withdrawn therefrom by the wrapping and unwrapping of the flexible tapes on and from their respective tape wheel.

As is known to those familiar with the art, this type of loom utilizes an outside source of filling, that is, the supply is not carried to and fro through the Warp shed by a shuttle or the filling inserting member itself. The filling yarn is measured and cut to the required length for extending across the width of the fabric being woven. A first carrier inserts the filling into the warp shed to a point adjacent the center thereof where it is then transferred to a second carrier member which extends it through the remaining portion of said shed to complete the laying of a single pick.

The tape wheels are oscillated slightly less than a full revolution and as the tapes are being withdrawn from the shed they are wrapped tightly about the peripheral surface thereof. When the tapes are :being unwrapped from their respective wheel and inserted into the shed, guide members are required to hold them radially inward and in close proximity with the rims of said wheels.

A number of US. patents describe and clearly illustrate the looms and mechanism for actuating flexible tapes and carriers which form a part of the present invention and its is considered unnecessary at this point to insert herein a detailed description of these mechanisms. Attention is hereby drawn to US. Pats. 2,604,123 and 2,810,403.

A common form of guide means utilized for maintaining the flexible tapes in close proximity with the rims of tape wheels is that of a plurality of arcuate shoe members made of such materials as impregnated wood or plastic.

The heat generated by the frictional contact of the tapes with the shoe members is considered a problem, for excessive heating of the tapes will distort them to the extent where control of the tape and carrier settings at the filling transfer point is lost. Loss of this control often results in failure to transfer the filling from one carrier to the other as well as a more serious condition of carrier collision. A collision of the carrier members is known to be responsible for breakage of many warp yarns as well as resulting in excessive down time to replace or make the necessary repairs to the damaged carriers.

The present invention provides novel flexible filling carrier tapes in which the frictional contact between said tapes, their wheels and shoe members is substantially reduced.

By reducing the frictional contact between these elements the above problem of generating excessive heat has been corrected thereby providing a more positive control of the tapes and their carriers at the filling transfer point. Additionally, the reduction of frictional contact between the tapes and their associated elements reduces the power requirements for actuating the tape wheels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The flexible filling carrier tape members of the present invention are of conventional length and width and their surfaces which are adapted to contact the outer peripheral surface of the tape wheels and shoe members are formed to provide a plurality of corrugations thereacross.

These corrugations transverse the width of the tapes and each being contiguous with adjacent corrugations, they extend in allochiral relation for substantially the full longitudinal extent of said tapes.

The apogee of each corrugation provides the surface which will contact either the tape wheel or shoe members during its intended function, that is to say, the apogee of one corrugation provides the surface which will contact said tape wheel while the apogees of immediately adjacent corrugations provide the surfaces which are adapted to contact the shoe members. These surfaces provide a minimum of contact between the tapes and their respective tape wheels and shoe members thereby reducing substantially the friction between these elements as well as the heat generated thereby.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation and partially in section of one end of a loom showing a flexible filling carrier tape according to the invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a side view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the flexible filling carrier tape shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tape taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the carrier members in their cooperating position with flexible tapes according to the invention fixedly attached thereto; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the right-hand carrier and its tape shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing wherein only as much of a shuttleless loom structure is depicted as is necessary for a complete understanding of the invention, there is shown a tape wheel housing 10 having on its inner side an integrally formed supported bracket 11 which is fixedly attached to the loomside 12 by means of bolts 13 and 14.

A tape wheel 15 is mounted for oscillating movement in the housing 10 and although only the left-hand structure is shown in FIG. 1 it should be understood that a similar structure is disposed at the opposite side of the loom.

The tape wheel includes an outer rim 16 on which one end of a flexible filling carrier tape 17 is fixedly attached by means of a bolt 18 as at 19'.

In close proximity with the outer surface of the tape 17, housing 10 includes a plurality of arcuate shoe members 20 which are attached thereto by means of cap screws 21 and are circumferentially disposed throughout a considerable extent, at least, of the circumferential extent of the tape wheel'15"(FIG. l).

The flexible tape 17 is positioned intermediate the rim 16 of the tape wheel 15 and the inner surfaces ofthe shoe members 20 which are arcuated to conform to the outer peripheryof said tape wheel.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 the right-hand flexible filling carrier tape is identified by numeral 22 and the free ends of both tapes. are provided with filling carriers which are caused to function in a known manner.

The carrier which is attached to tape 22 is depicted by numeral Band is that carrier which inserts the filling yarn Y into the warp shed. The carrier which is attached to tape 17 is shown at 24 in FIGS. 1 and 4 and is that carrier which receives or has transferred to it the filling yarn which it then extends through the remainder of the shed to complete a given pick.

As the tapes are wrapped about and unwrapped from their respective tape wheels, said tapes are guided into and from the fabric shed by a straight horizontal guide member 25 (one only shown in FIG. 1) which assemblies to the upper surface of the support bracket 11 by any suitable means.

To reduce the frictional contact of the flexible tapes outer and inner surfaces with the shoe members and rims of their respective tape wheels during oscillation of the latter, said tapes are provided with a plurality of corrugations 26. These corrugations transverse the width of the tapes and being disposed in contiguous relation they extend for substantially the full longitudinal extent of said tapes as shown in FIG. 5.

In operation, the tape wheels are oscillated to and fro slightly less than a full revolution and the flexible tapes attached thereto are caused to insert and withdraw their respective carriers from the warp shed in timed relation .to the weaving cycle.

The tapes corrugations are disposed in allochiral rela* tion along the length thereof and permit only a minimum of contact between the outer and inner surfaces of said '4 tapes with their respective tape wheel rims and shoe members t H While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in anu'inber of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but. is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within. the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is: w 1

1. In a shuttless loom of the type having a stationary filling supply, opposed carrier members being attached to the free ends of flexible tapes, oscillating tape wheels to which said tapes are attached and upon which they are wrapped and from which they are extended into the shed by oscillation of said wheels, guide means for maintaining said tapes in close proximity with said wheels, and a generally horizontally isposed tape guide in alignment with the warp shed, said tapes having laterally extending corrugations for providing substantially line contact between the apexes of alternate corrugations and said guide means, said corrugations defining reversely symmetrical outer and inner tape surfaces extending substantially the full length of said tapes.

2. In the loom defined in claim 1; said guide means comprising a plurality of arcuate guide shoes circumferentially'outwardly of and about the peripheriesof said tape wheels.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,477,357 7/1949 Whitin 139--123 3,159,184 12/1964 Brown et al. 139122 HENRY 1S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

